Overview:

This privacy policy outlines your rights, and my obligations to you, with regard to the recording and storage of your personal information. In this privacy policy, I will let you know what information I need to collect from you before we begin the therapy, and what information I need to collect from you during therapy sessions. I will also set out how I will look after your personal information, for how long I will store it, and whom I will share it with.

What is personal information?

The Data Protection Act 1998 (DPA) defines personal information as any information that can be used to identify a living individual. Individuals can be identified by various means including their name, address, telephone number, or email address for example.

Why do you want to process my personal information?

I need to process your personal information in order to fulfill my contractual obligations to you as a therapist, for example, to assess whether I am able to offer you therapy in the first place, and then to deliver effective therapy to you if therapy commences. Your personal information helps guide both my assessment process and my clinical decision-making.

What are the laws that protect my personal information?

The DPA and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) require that all organizations that store personal information about people may only do so provided that the information is: processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner; collected for specified, explicit and legitimate purposes; adequate, relevant and limited to what is necessary; accurate and, where necessary, kept up to date; kept in a form that permits identification of information subjects for no longer than is necessary for the purposes for which the personal information are processed, and processed in a manner that ensures appropriate security of the personal information.

How will you collect my personal information?

I will collect your personal information in the following ways: via my website:
www.mindsoothingpsychologist.com, over the telephone, in writing, or in person/online during our meetings

How will you store my personal information?

I will store your personal information electronically on devices that are password and/or fingerprint I.D. protected, and in files that are further password protected and only accessible by me.

How long will you store my personal information?

According to the GDPR, your personal information should be stored for no longer than necessary. In practical terms, I will usually store your information for a minimum of 5 years following the termination of your treatment. However, I may need to store your information for longer than this.

What types of information will you collect about me?

When you visit www.mindsoothingpsychologist.com / will collect the following information about your visit:
I.P. address, location, search engine, date, time, web pages visited, operating system, and device. Before committing to provide you with therapy services, I will ask you over the telephone to provide me with the following information: name, telephone number, address, e-mail address, psychological issues that you would like to address, health problems, and symptoms.
Collecting further information from you may include: goals for therapy, previous therapy, current medication, previous criminal convictions, financial and employment circumstances, health and physical issues, alcohol and drug use, appetite and sleep, family structure, an overview of your family situation, and early memories of caregivers.

Who will my personal information be shared with?

Your relationship with me (your therapist) is highly confidential, everything we discuss during our therapy session will remain only between you and me. Unless there are requirements of a court of law, the threat of serious physical harm to you or to others. Some of your other personal information such as website visits, telephone call data, or payment information, is shared with the website provider, mobile phone operator, or card payment provider respectively. These providers operate under their own privacy policies, and these can be provided upon request.